ELT in the digitale age: We have come a long way

Abstract

Educational Applications and Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools have been a source of creativity but also controversy in recent years, also in the EFL classroom. From questions of spell checkers to automated text-generating technologies, educators and researchers alike have debated the utility and limitations of AI-powered tools. This paper looks at the historical development of educational technology, mainly the role of AI in ELT and argues for a creative engineering approach to language learning that leverages the best of the analogue and digital world. Taking the example of the Midjourney bot, this article outlines how AI-powered tools can be used as an assistive catalyst for teaching, such as providing linear remedial drills, grading cloze exercises, analyzing texts, but also generating fully coherent, grammatically, and lexically sound texts. It also identifies key competencies, such as interdependency, required to effectively use AI-powered tools. These skills include being able to use language chunks produced by the AI to adapt and remix texts for new activities and contexts, a skill referred to as “creative engineering”. Drawing on examples from specific EFL teaching scenarios, this paper emphasizes the need for teachers to understand and use AI-powered tools in their teaching, pointing to their potential to elevate language learning in the 21st century ELT classroom.